Interchangeable coupling.



No. ($059,090.y Patented Mar. 5, |90I. A. B. LEES.

INTERCHANGEABLE CUUPLING.

Applicaton iled Jan. 5, 1898. Renewed July 28, 1900.) (No Modal.)

WITNESSES: INVENTOR rmnckms versus m4. wovawmm wAsnmc-rom n. c,

lINTTnn STATES ADELE B. Lnns, or NEW YORK, N. Y.,

Tirion.

ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN R.

MCOOMB, OF GREAT BARRINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

HINTERCHANGEABLE COUPLlNG.

SPECIFIATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 669,090, dated March 5,1901. Application led January 5, 1898. Renewed July 28, 1900. Serial No.25,143. (No model.)

To all whom, t nto/y concern;

Be it known that l, ADELE B. LEES, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Interchangeable Couplings, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to interchangeable couplings, such as those usedfor air-brake io pipes on cars; andthe object is to furnish a coupling`in which both members are eX- actly alike and in which each member hasan entering nipple of semicircular crosssection which enters a socket inthe other member and bears at its extremity upon a packing-ring at thebottom of the socket. The devices for drawing together and locking themembers when the coupling is effected are simple and readily operated.2o In the accompanying drawings, Whichillustrate an embodiment of theinvention, Figure l is a longitudinal axial section of the coupling.Fig. 2 is an end or face View of one of the members thereof. Fig. 3 is aside elevation of one of said members. Fig. 4. isa face view of one ofthe locking-rings of the coupling. Fig. 5 is a diametrical section ofsaid locking-ring.

The two members A and AX of the coupling 3o are alike, as before stated;but in order that the construction seen in Fig. 1 may be betterunderstood the details of the member A are distinguished from those ofthe memberA by the addition of the character to the reference-letters.Only the member A will be described in detail. This memberA comprises aroughened tubular shank a for the attachment of a section of hose orpipe and a head provided with a face-fiange ZJ and a nipple c, 4o whichprojects fromsaid face. This nipple is semicircular in cross-section,its flat face being coincident with a diametrical plane passing throughthe axis of the coupling, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3. When the twocoupling members are brought together, the flat faces of the two nipplesc and CX are applied together, as seen in Fig. l, and their respectiveextremities bear upon packing-rings dx and d, resting on seats formed atthe bottoms 5o of sockets in the respective members. Thus the twonipples when applied together form a cylindrical tube, of which the Hatwalls of the nipples form a sort of diametrical partition. The rings ofpacking material are semicircular and are retained in place by lateralexpansion into circumferential grooves or ren cesses at their seats. Thediametrical portion of the seat is in the form lof a Vedged bar, as eandeX, adapted to offer the minimum of resistance to the iiow of Huidthrough the 6o coupling.

The locking devices of the coupling comprise the following parts; Alocking-ringg embraces the member A rotatively exterior to or back ofthe face-fiange b thereon, and on the member AX is a fixed locking-lughX, which projects from the iiange bx, parallel with the axis of thecoupling, said lug having a locking-head 11X. When the two members ofthe coupling are put together, the 7o lug hX passes through an aperturej in the flange b of the member A and enters a circumferentiallocking-groove 7a in the ring g, the head L'X entering the groove f; byway of a recess m, Figs. 4 and 5, cut in the wall of the 75 groove inthe ring. When the ring g is rotated about its bearing ou the couplingmember, the lockinghead 'iX engages the Wall n, Fig. 5, of the groove k,and this wall being spirally formed the rotation of the ring serves 8oto draw the two members of the coupling together, as well as lock them.

The parts above described are duplicated, as will be understood, therebeing a grooved locking-ring g on the member A and a locking-lug h onthe member A. In effecting the coupling the operator rotates the twolocking-rings g and g simultaneously in opposite directions, and inuncoupling 11e rotates them simultaneously in the opposite 9o Ways. Asthe locking-lugs h and hX will be at exactly opposite sides of thecoupling-axis, the two produce a perfectly-alined axial pull ineffecting the coupling and hold the parts together evenly and firmly.

In order that the operator may set thelocking-rings for couplingproperly and without tria1-that is, bring the recess m in the ring toregister with the aperture j in the flange b, so that the locking-studon the other memloo ber may pass throughthere may be a detentstud o onthe coupling member, which stud engages the groove 7c in the ring. Thelatter can be rotated until the stud o strikes the wall at the end ofthe groove c, and the ring will then turn no farther. The recess m willthen register with the aperturej.

The advantage of the construction shown, where the tubular nipples aresemicircular in cross-section and the flat faces applied one ou theother, over known constructions where cylindrical nipples are employedwill be obvious. For example, the bore of the coupling is axially alinedwith the pipe or hose, the cross-section of the coupling is reduced andmade symmetrical, and the partition which is opposed edgewise to theflow of the liquid through the coupling is reduced to a minimum incross-section.

AHaving thus described my invention, I claim- 1. Aninterchangeablecouplingcomprising two like coupling members, each havinga projecting, 4tubular nipple of semicircular cross-section, its flatface coinciding with the diameter of the coupling, the passage throughsaid nipples forming parts of the passage for the fluid through thecoupling, and locking mechanism for locking the twormembers together ineifecting the coupling, substantially as set forth.

2. Aninterchangeablecouplingcomprising two like coupling members, eachhaving a projecting tubular nipple of semicircular crosssection, itsflat face coinciding with the diameter of the coupling, andpacking-rings at the bottoms of the sockets in the members for the endsof the respective nipples to impinge upon, the passages through saidnipples forming parts of the passage for the Huid through the coupling,and locking mechanism for locking the two members togetherin effectingthe coupling, substantially as set forth.

3. An interchangeable coupling composed of two like members each ofwhich-consists of the following parts and instrumentalities; a shank ato receive a pipe or hose, a chambered ceepeo flange and having in it alocking-groove lo and a recess m whereby the locking-lug may enter saidgroove, a tubular nipple c, of semicircular cross-section, adapted toenter the `other member when the members are fitted together, and apacking-ring d at the bottom of the socket upon which the end of thenipple of the other member impinges, substantially as set forth.

4. A coupling composed of two like members which have each a tubularnipple of semilcircular cross-section, the two nipples having their datfaces applied one on the other and the nipple of one member fitting intoa socket in the other member, seats and packing-rings yat the bottoms ofthe respective sockets on which the extremities of said nipples impinge,and means for drawing and locking the two members together,substantially as set forth.

'5. A coupling composed of two like members which have each a tubularnipple of semicircular cross-section, the two nipples having their fiatfaces applied one on the other and ythe nipple of one member fittinginto a socket lin the other member, packing for the coupling, and meansfor drawing and locking the two members together, saidl means comprisinglocking-rings rotatively mounted on the coupling members concentricallywith the axis thereof, the said rings each having in it a locking-groovek to receive a locking-lug h yon the other member, substantially as setforth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name, this 3d day ofJanuary, 1898, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ADELE B. LEES.

Witnesses:

HENRY CONNETT, PETER A. Ross.

